Harrison Takes Win From Tiger Clutches
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Momentum. It's a powerful equalizer. Often difficult to harness, momentum can cause strange things to happen. The Warsaw volleyball team saw just how important it can be on Saturday, dropping a tight match to Lafayette Harrison in the championship game of the Tiger Spiker Invitational 4-15, 15-13, 15-8.
"It's all about who has the momentum and what team capitalizes on it the most," Warsaw head coach Jamie Byron said.
After winning the first game 15-4, Warsaw put Lafayette Harrison on the ropes in the second game.
After falling behind 9-5 in game two, Warsaw used some Raiders mistakes to reel off eight straight points. Harrison lost five of those points on simple mistakes such as bad sets and spikes into the net.
"We used that momentum," Byron said. "That's what I'm trying to get these girls to do."
However, trailing 13-9, Harrison began to claw back. Tied at 13-13, Cara Smith began to assert herself for the Raiders, picking up a big block to put Harrison in the lead. The Raiders picked up the next point to knot the match at one game apiece.
In the third game, Harrison added to the six straight points it ended the second game with and added 14 of the first 16 points in the third game for a 14-2 lead. Smith was all over the court with numerous blocks and kills to give the Raiders a commanding lead. After a timeout, Warsaw came out on fire.
"I don't like to call timeouts," Byron said. "They have to learn to motivate themselves. But I told them, 'These are the things we're going to be working on in the weeks to come. Let me see some kind of pride from you. Make this respectable for our fans.' And they did. That's all I'm asking for, to see that emotion every time."
The Tigers got kills from Nancy Mason, Sam Wideman, Liz Owens and Alyssa Raphael, along with an ace from Jessica Zaugg to close the gap to 14-8. But, after a side out, Smith was the Tiger killer again, recording an ace to finish Warsaw off.
"Smith was almost unstoppable," Byron said. "If she wasn't swinging away, she was tipping behind our block. I told our girls that she was their best hitter, but we were too far back on defense and not ready to move forward. She is a great athlete."
To get to the championship game, Warsaw defeated South Bend Riley 15-5, 15-7 thanks to seven kills from Wideman and six more from Raphael. Shanna Smith added four kills, two aces and seven digs.
Warsaw (5-6, 1-0) will be at Northridge on Thursday at 6 p.m.
WARSAW OVER SOUTH BEND RILEY 15-5, 15-7
Warsaw kills - Wideman 7, Raphael 6, Smith 4
Warsaw digs - Smith 7, Owens 3, Sutton 3
Warsaw aces - Smith 2, Zaugg 2, Thomas 2
Warsaw assists - Zaugg 23
LAFAYETTE HARRISON OVER WARSAW 4-15, 15-13, 15-8
Warsaw kills - Mason 9, Raphael 6, Owens 3
Warsaw digs - Smith 10, Owens 8
Warsaw aces - Mason 5, Zaugg 2, Berry 2
Warsaw assists - Zaugg 9, Berry 2 [[In-content Ad]]
Momentum. It's a powerful equalizer. Often difficult to harness, momentum can cause strange things to happen. The Warsaw volleyball team saw just how important it can be on Saturday, dropping a tight match to Lafayette Harrison in the championship game of the Tiger Spiker Invitational 4-15, 15-13, 15-8.
"It's all about who has the momentum and what team capitalizes on it the most," Warsaw head coach Jamie Byron said.
After winning the first game 15-4, Warsaw put Lafayette Harrison on the ropes in the second game.
After falling behind 9-5 in game two, Warsaw used some Raiders mistakes to reel off eight straight points. Harrison lost five of those points on simple mistakes such as bad sets and spikes into the net.
"We used that momentum," Byron said. "That's what I'm trying to get these girls to do."
However, trailing 13-9, Harrison began to claw back. Tied at 13-13, Cara Smith began to assert herself for the Raiders, picking up a big block to put Harrison in the lead. The Raiders picked up the next point to knot the match at one game apiece.
In the third game, Harrison added to the six straight points it ended the second game with and added 14 of the first 16 points in the third game for a 14-2 lead. Smith was all over the court with numerous blocks and kills to give the Raiders a commanding lead. After a timeout, Warsaw came out on fire.
"I don't like to call timeouts," Byron said. "They have to learn to motivate themselves. But I told them, 'These are the things we're going to be working on in the weeks to come. Let me see some kind of pride from you. Make this respectable for our fans.' And they did. That's all I'm asking for, to see that emotion every time."
The Tigers got kills from Nancy Mason, Sam Wideman, Liz Owens and Alyssa Raphael, along with an ace from Jessica Zaugg to close the gap to 14-8. But, after a side out, Smith was the Tiger killer again, recording an ace to finish Warsaw off.
"Smith was almost unstoppable," Byron said. "If she wasn't swinging away, she was tipping behind our block. I told our girls that she was their best hitter, but we were too far back on defense and not ready to move forward. She is a great athlete."
To get to the championship game, Warsaw defeated South Bend Riley 15-5, 15-7 thanks to seven kills from Wideman and six more from Raphael. Shanna Smith added four kills, two aces and seven digs.
Warsaw (5-6, 1-0) will be at Northridge on Thursday at 6 p.m.
WARSAW OVER SOUTH BEND RILEY 15-5, 15-7
Warsaw kills - Wideman 7, Raphael 6, Smith 4
Warsaw digs - Smith 7, Owens 3, Sutton 3
Warsaw aces - Smith 2, Zaugg 2, Thomas 2
Warsaw assists - Zaugg 23
LAFAYETTE HARRISON OVER WARSAW 4-15, 15-13, 15-8
Warsaw kills - Mason 9, Raphael 6, Owens 3
Warsaw digs - Smith 10, Owens 8
Warsaw aces - Mason 5, Zaugg 2, Berry 2
Warsaw assists - Zaugg 9, Berry 2 [[In-content Ad]]